Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 14 of 18

Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga

गुणत्रयविभागयोग — The Three Gunas · 27 verses

All 27 verses

Sanskrit, transliteration and English meaning for every verse.

1. 14.1 · Krishna

   परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् ।
   यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥

   paraṃ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi jñānānāṃ jñānamuttamam |
   yajjñātvā munayaḥ sarve parāṃ siddhimito gatāḥ ||

   The Lord said: I will again teach you the supreme knowledge, the highest of all knowledge, by knowing which all the sages have passed from this world to supreme perfection.

2. 14.2 · Krishna

   इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः ।
   सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥

   idaṃ jñānamupāśritya mama sādharmyamāgatāḥ |
   sarge’pi nopajāyante pralaye na vyathanti ca ||

   Those who take refuge in this knowledge and come to share my nature are not born even at the creation, nor are they troubled at the dissolution.

3. 14.3 · Krishna

   मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् ।
   संभवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥

   mama yonirmahadbrahma tasmingarbhaṃ dadhāmyaham |
   saṃbhavaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ tato bhavati bhārata ||

   My womb is the great Brahman (primal nature); in it I place the seed, and from that all beings come into existence, Bharata.

4. 14.4 · Krishna

   सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः संभवन्ति याः ।
   तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥

   sarvayoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ saṃbhavanti yāḥ |
   tāsāṃ brahma mahadyonirahaṃ bījapradaḥ pitā ||

   Whatever forms come into being in any womb, son of Kunti, the great Brahman is their womb, and I am the father who gives the seed.

5. 14.5 · Krishna

   सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसंभवाः ।
   निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥

   sattvaṃ rajastama iti guṇāḥ prakṛtisaṃbhavāḥ |
   nibadhnanti mahābāho dehe dehinamavyayam ||

   Sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (inertia) — these gunas, the qualities born of prakriti (nature), bind the imperishable embodied Self to the body, mighty-armed one.

6. 14.6 · Krishna

   तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् ।
   सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥

   tatra sattvaṃ nirmalatvātprakāśakamanāmayam |
   sukhasaṅgena badhnāti jñānasaṅgena cānagha ||

   Of these, sattva, being pure, is luminous and free from affliction. It binds through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge, sinless one.

7. 14.7 · Krishna

   रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् ।
   तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥

   rajo rāgātmakaṃ viddhi tṛṣṇāsaṅgasamudbhavam |
   tannibadhnāti kaunteya karmasaṅgena dehinam ||

   Know that rajas is of the nature of passion, springing from craving and attachment. It binds the embodied one, son of Kunti, through attachment to action.

8. 14.8 · Krishna

   तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।
   प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥

   tamastvajñānajaṃ viddhi mohanaṃ sarvadehinām |
   pramādālasyanidrābhistannibadhnāti bhārata ||

   Know that tamas is born of ignorance and deludes all embodied beings. It binds through negligence, laziness and sleep, Bharata.

9. 14.9 · Krishna

   सत्त्वं सुखे संजयति रजः कर्मणि भारत ।
   ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे संजयत्युत ॥

   sattvaṃ sukhe saṃjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata |
   jñānamāvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde saṃjayatyuta ||

   Sattva attaches one to happiness and rajas to action, Bharata, while tamas, veiling knowledge, attaches one to negligence.

10. 14.10 · Krishna

    रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत ।
    रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ॥

    rajastamaścābhibhūya sattvaṃ bhavati bhārata |
    rajaḥ sattvaṃ tamaścaiva tamaḥ sattvaṃ rajastathā ||

    Sattva prevails by overpowering rajas and tamas, Bharata; rajas prevails by overpowering sattva and tamas; and tamas likewise prevails by overpowering sattva and rajas.

11. 14.11 · Krishna

    सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ।
    ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥

    sarvadvāreṣu dehe’sminprakāśa upajāyate |
    jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyādvivṛddhaṃ sattvamityuta ||

    When the light of knowledge shines through all the gates of this body, then know that sattva has grown strong.

12. 14.12 · Krishna

    लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा ।
    रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥

    lobhaḥ pravṛttirārambhaḥ karmaṇāmaśamaḥ spṛhā |
    rajasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha ||

    Greed, busyness, the launching of undertakings, restlessness and craving arise when rajas increases, best of the Bharatas.

13. 14.13 · Krishna

    अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च ।
    तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥

    aprakāśo’pravṛttiśca pramādo moha eva ca |
    tamasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe kurunandana ||

    Darkness, inertia, negligence and delusion arise when tamas increases, joy of the Kurus.

14. 14.14 · Krishna

    यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् ।
    तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ॥

    yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu pralayaṃ yāti dehabhṛt |
    tadottamavidāṃ lokānamalānpratipadyate ||

    If the embodied one meets death when sattva is dominant, he reaches the pure worlds of those who know the highest.

15. 14.15 · Krishna

    रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते ।
    तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥

    rajasi pralayaṃ gatvā karmasaṅgiṣu jāyate |
    tathā pralīnastamasi mūḍhayoniṣu jāyate ||

    Dying when rajas prevails, one is born among those attached to action; dying when tamas prevails, one is born in the wombs of the deluded.

16. 14.16 · Krishna

    कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् ।
    रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥

    karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam |
    rajasastu phalaṃ duḥkhamajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam ||

    The fruit of good action is said to be sattvic and pure; the fruit of rajas is pain, and the fruit of tamas is ignorance.

17. 14.17 · Krishna

    सत्त्वात्संजायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च ।
    प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥

    sattvātsaṃjāyate jñānaṃ rajaso lobha eva ca |
    pramādamohau tamaso bhavato’jñānameva ca ||

    From sattva arises knowledge, and from rajas greed; from tamas arise negligence and delusion, and ignorance as well.

18. 14.18 · Krishna

    ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।
    जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥

    ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ |
    jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ ||

    Those established in sattva rise upward; the rajasic remain in the middle; the tamasic, living in the lowest of the gunas, sink downward.

19. 14.19 · Krishna

    नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति ।
    गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥

    nānyaṃ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṃ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati |
    guṇebhyaśca paraṃ vetti madbhāvaṃ so’dhigacchati ||

    When the seer perceives no doer other than the gunas, and knows what lies beyond the gunas, he attains my being.

20. 14.20 · Krishna

    गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् ।
    जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते ॥

    guṇānetānatītya trīndehī dehasamudbhavān |
    janmamṛtyujarāduḥkhairvimukto’mṛtamaśnute ||

    Going beyond these three gunas, from which the body arises, the embodied one is freed from birth, death, old age and sorrow, and attains immortality.

21. 14.21 · Arjuna

    कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो ।
    किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥

    kairliṅgaistrīnguṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho |
    kimācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃstrīnguṇānativartate ||

    Arjuna said: By what signs is one known who has gone beyond these three gunas, Lord? How does such a person live, and how does one pass beyond the three gunas?

22. 14.22 · Krishna

    प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव ।
    न द्वेष्टि संप्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ॥

    prakāśaṃ ca pravṛttiṃ ca mohameva ca pāṇḍava |
    na dveṣṭi saṃpravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati ||

    The Lord said: One who does not resent illumination, activity or delusion when they arise, son of Pandu, nor long for them when they cease —

23. 14.23 · Krishna

    उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते ।
    गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥

    udāsīnavadāsīno guṇairyo na vicālyate |
    guṇā vartanta ityeva yo’vatiṣṭhati neṅgate ||

    — who sits as if indifferent, unshaken by the gunas, who stays firm and does not waver, knowing that it is only the gunas that are at work —

24. 14.24 · Krishna

    समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः ।
    तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः ॥

    samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ |
    tulyapriyāpriyo dhīrastulyanindātmasaṃstutiḥ ||

    — who is the same in pain and pleasure, grounded in the Self, who sees a clod, a stone and gold as equal, who is the same towards the pleasant and the unpleasant, steady, and the same in blame and praise of himself —

25. 14.25 · Krishna

    मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः ।
    सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥

    mānāpamānayostulyastulyo mitrāripakṣayoḥ |
    sarvārambhaparityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate ||

    — who is the same in honour and dishonour, the same towards friend and foe, and who has given up every self-driven undertaking: such a one is said to have gone beyond the gunas.

26. 14.26 · Krishna

    मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते ।
    स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥

    māṃ ca yo’vyabhicāreṇa bhaktiyogena sevate |
    sa guṇānsamatītyaitānbrahmabhūyāya kalpate ||

    And one who serves me with the yoga of unwavering devotion goes beyond these gunas and becomes fit to become one with Brahman.

27. 14.27 · Krishna

    ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च ।
    शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥

    brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāhamamṛtasyāvyayasya ca |
    śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca ||

    For I am the foundation of Brahman, the immortal and imperishable, of eternal dharma, and of absolute bliss.